Showering in the dark, cooking in the dark, eating in the dark, doing laundry in the dark.
@mildredtabitha (16048)
Nairobi, Kenya
March 23, 2024 1:08pm CST
My Saturday was going on well. I bought shoes for $3 on my way to school. Then I bought another pair at the same place in town on my way back from school. That is two pair of shoes for $3 each.
I wanted to walk from town to home but it started raining and a big wind blew. So I took a bus.
When I arrived home, there was no electricity. I used a small candle and my phone torchlight to see around in the house. I'm home alone with no electricity.
So I cooked cornmeal. I had bought avocado and there was some milk. I prepared and snapped a photo in the dark.
I ate in the dark with only the light from the torch and candle. Then I showered. Then I washed my clothes and two pairs of rubber shoes because they were dusty after walking in them. Since the candle was small, I blew it out.
Now I'm mylotting in the dark. I hope the electricity comes back tomorrow. Being in the dark and alone is not fun.
20 people like this
19 responses
@snowy22315 (170140)
• United States
23 Mar
Well at least your phone is still charged. Why do you think the electricity went off?
4 people like this
@mildredtabitha (16048)
• Nairobi, Kenya
23 Mar
I don't know the reason. I heard the neighbor complaining about the electricity too.
When I switched on the light, the bulb was lighting very dimly and it was going on and off. I think there is something wrong with the meter box but there was a strong wind in the evening.
I just arrived from school and found there was no electricity. I don't know when the problem started.
3 people like this
@snowy22315 (170140)
• United States
23 Mar
@mildredtabitha can you call the power company and report the outage?
2 people like this
@mildredtabitha (16048)
• Nairobi, Kenya
23 Mar
@snowy22315 I will call them tomorrow but I doubt they will be willing to come on a weekend. The electricity is back but it disappears and comes back quickly every second. It's going on and off. So it can't be used completely.
3 people like this
@Deepizzaguy (94657)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
23 Mar
I know how you feel since lack of electricity is no fun at all. Hopefully you will have electricity on soon.
2 people like this
@Deepizzaguy (94657)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
24 Mar
@mildredtabitha You are welcome since my relatives have gone through blackout spells in 2020 when Hurricanes Laura and Delta hit Lake Charles.
1 person likes this
@mildredtabitha (16048)
• Nairobi, Kenya
24 Mar
@Deepizzaguy Hurricanes are terrible. I'm glad we don't have them in my country.
1 person likes this
@mildredtabitha (16048)
• Nairobi, Kenya
23 Mar
Thank you George. Actually it's 2:00am and I switched on the light and there is electricity but it is going on and off in quick succession so I can't really use it.
2 people like this
@mildredtabitha (16048)
• Nairobi, Kenya
23 Mar
I don't like it too. I checked and the electricity is there but it disappears and appears frequently. It's not stable yet. I hope it gets fixed. There could be a leakage somewhere.
2 people like this
@mildredtabitha (16048)
• Nairobi, Kenya
23 Mar
I hope so too. I hope the lighting on and off will be fixed so we can finally use electricity.
2 people like this
@RasmaSandra (73538)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
23 Mar
At least you have your phone charged, I hope you get your electricity back soon,
2 people like this
@mildredtabitha (16048)
• Nairobi, Kenya
23 Mar
The electricity has come back but the light is going on and off in seconds. It's hard to use the electricity.
2 people like this
@Hannihar (129493)
• Israel
24 Mar
@mildredtabitha
How long were you without electricty? That is horrible and the weather is not good and to come to total darkness that is not fair.
1 person likes this
@Hannihar (129493)
• Israel
27 Mar
@mildredtabitha
I am glad you had electricity on Sunday evening. I hope you have it now.
1 person likes this
@mildredtabitha (16048)
• Nairobi, Kenya
27 Mar
@Hannihar yes we do. It disappeared again Monday evening but it came back after few hours. Since then, everything is okay.
1 person likes this
@mildredtabitha (16048)
• Nairobi, Kenya
24 Mar
Since I arrived home Saturday evening, there was no electricity but I arrived home Sunday evening and there is electricity. It might have been something like more than 24 hours or less
1 person likes this
@ptrikha_2 (45527)
• India
24 Mar
Till late 90s, we used to face similar Electricity challenges.
Then Invertors became a trend.
The power cuts are lesser now.
Is this power cut due to maintenance work or otherwise?
It is a big feat to do all of this without electricity.
I hope the power problems are resolved and you don't face similar issues.
1 person likes this
@ptrikha_2 (45527)
• India
25 Mar
@mildredtabitha
That's a big big relief.
Power supply is so so vital for us.
1 person likes this
@mildredtabitha (16048)
• Nairobi, Kenya
25 Mar
I think the meter box had a problem. It kept switching on and switching itself off. Maybe the big wind that blew caused power outage but I'm not sure. I'm glad the electricity is back.
I'm glad the power problem was resolved on Sunday yesterday.
1 person likes this
@tkonlinevn (6383)
• Vietnam
25 Mar
I like the meal :) I haven't used cornstarch in a long time. Avocado is quite abundant here. But this is not avocado season so we rarely see them.
1 person likes this
@mildredtabitha (16048)
• Nairobi, Kenya
25 Mar
The cornmeal I cooked is made from maize flour.
I liked the meal too. Here it is avocado season since I've started seeing them in the market.
We have two avocado trees at my rural home in the village.
1 person likes this
@Shavkat (137216)
• Philippines
25 Mar
@mildredtabitha That is a piece of good news. I hope it will not happen in my city during the summer season.
1 person likes this
@mildredtabitha (16048)
• Nairobi, Kenya
25 Mar
@Shavkat I hope the same for you too. No more blackouts.
1 person likes this
@mildredtabitha (16048)
• Nairobi, Kenya
24 Mar
It is Sunday evening and the electricity is back. I'm now watching tv. I don't know when the problem was fixed because I was in school.
1 person likes this
@RebeccasFarm (86772)
• United States
24 Mar
I hope that electric comes on..is it now Mildred?
1 person likes this
@RebeccasFarm (86772)
• United States
24 Mar
@mildredtabitha Oh thank goodness coz you are alone still right?
1 person likes this
@mildredtabitha (16048)
• Nairobi, Kenya
24 Mar
Yes it has come. I'm glad that my Sunday night will not be dark anymore.
1 person likes this
@mildredtabitha (16048)
• Nairobi, Kenya
24 Mar
@RebeccasFarm Yes I'm alone the whole of this week but I'm glad I'll go for Easter camp from Thursday to Monday first April.
1 person likes this
@mildredtabitha (16048)
• Nairobi, Kenya
24 Mar
Thank you for sharing this. I know I'm not alone. I'm glad things are better for you.
1 person likes this
@Melanie_Marie (1790)
• New Baltimore, Michigan
26 Mar
I enjoy the darkness, so much.
Sometimes I cook in the dark in the middle of the night. Then my mom wakes up and turns the big, bright kitchen light on.
I just give her a look like.. great, thanks for blinding me.
1 person likes this
@mildredtabitha (16048)
• Nairobi, Kenya
26 Mar
Wow! That's nice and funny. It means you feel hungry in the middle of the night.
Maybe the smell of the food wakes your mum up.
1 person likes this
@mildredtabitha (16048)
• Nairobi, Kenya
27 Mar
@Melanie_Marie I'm glad it's about to be over and you won't need to cook when there is traffic. Our kitchen is also small. It should be one person in the kitchen while cooking.
1 person likes this
@Melanie_Marie (1790)
• New Baltimore, Michigan
27 Mar
@mildredtabitha Haha yes, she does always want a taste.
I cook in the middle of the night sometime because the kitchen is finally empty with no distracting questions or people in my way. But the days of bumping elbows and cooking when there’s the least amount of kitchen traffic are soon to be over. 
1 person likes this
@mildredtabitha (16048)
• Nairobi, Kenya
23 Mar
I'm glad it was only two pairs of clothes. I do hope too. Let me wait and see what Sunday has in store for me.
1 person likes this
@mildredtabitha (16048)
• Nairobi, Kenya
24 Mar
@dya80dya yes it is. I found it's back after I arrived home in the evening. I'm watching tv now and it's raining heavily outside.
@MarieCoyle (28754)
•
24 Mar
Oh, dear. I hope your electricity comes back on and stays on. I hate being in total darkness. I do like my lights where I want them. Take good care.
1 person likes this
@mildredtabitha (16048)
• Nairobi, Kenya
24 Mar
@MarieCoyle Yes. It's called a weekend academy. We go to school on Saturday and Sundays only.
I hope so too. Thank you.
1 person likes this
@mildredtabitha (16048)
• Nairobi, Kenya
24 Mar
Thank you.
It's Sunday morning and I checked and there was still no electricity. I used the torch on my phone to prepare for school. I'm now on my way to school.
It's Sunday morning and I checked and there was still no electricity. I used the torch on my phone to prepare for school. I'm now on my way to school.1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (28754)
•
24 Mar
@mildredtabitha
You go to school on Sundays, too?
I hope it's back on when you get home. Being alone in the dark is sort of depressing.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157624)
• United States
24 Mar
No, not fun at all. I have some oil lamps, and battery powered lights. I also have candles. Luckily we have not had that situation in quite a while.
1 person likes this
@mildredtabitha (16048)
• Nairobi, Kenya
24 Mar
I'm glad you haven't had it in quite a while. I don't know where our oil lamp is. I've been using the torch on my small phone most of the time.
Having battery powered lights is awesome. We don't have those.
@kaylachan (57866)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
23 Mar
I know you can use the internet on a phone, but how can you do laundry in the dark?
1 person likes this
@mildredtabitha (16048)
• Nairobi, Kenya
23 Mar
The candle was on and the torch light was on. I only had two pairs of clothes to wash. A black one and a white one. So I washed them with the little light I had. I shone light on them after washing and made sure they were clean. I did the same for the shoes.
1 person likes this
@mildredtabitha (16048)
• Nairobi, Kenya
24 Mar
It came in the night but it was flickering. Today morning there was no electricity again.
@LeaPea2417 (36469)
• Toccoa, Georgia
23 Mar
Did you call your electric company and report your outage and ask what the problem was?
1 person likes this
@mildredtabitha (16048)
• Nairobi, Kenya
23 Mar
No I didn't call. Most of the time when you call them, they delay coming for some days.
1 person likes this
@mildredtabitha (16048)
• Nairobi, Kenya
24 Mar
Yes the electricity is back. I don't know when it came back. But I arrived home this Sunday evening and found everything is okay. No more staying in the dark.
1 person likes this
